I am fortunate to have an older Kitchen Aid, but it is still JUNK
compared to my Bosch mixer. I have the mini, because it was on
clearance for $50 when I bought it. Bought one for my niece and my
sister too, everyone LOVES it. It is an orbital just like the
Kitchen Aid, but the quality is much better. I also bought a Bosch
Universal for serious bread baking and nothing makes it strain. I
can easily make four loaves of the heaviest bread dough, it
recommends a capacity of bread dough up to 15 cups. It isn't an
orbital, it has a hook on one side and a scraper on the other, best
description I can come up with. It is loud, but I have NEVER heard
the motor strain, not once. I bought it for under $300 and I would
never be without it. It works for everything, including whipping 1
egg, so the range is also amazing. Both my Bosches came with
blenders. The Mini came with a dough hook, a cake beater, and a
whipper. The universal came with the dough mixer and wire whips. I
also bought cookie dough beaters, you can get them in wire or that
indestructible plastic, I can't think of the name. I like the
plastic cookie/cake mixers because they are so easy to clean. They
both come with lids too. I think if you continue to put money into
your Kitchen Aid you will always have problems with it, they just
aren't make for heavy dough.
Good luck,
Sandy